My wife and I hit the road at 6:00 am this morning for a day of coastal birding along the Rhode Island coast. On the way we spotted the resident male New London PEREGRINE perched on top of a light pole on the Gold Star Bridge with its pigeon prey. We looked on all the remaining light poles but didn't see the female. Our first stop was one of our favorite birding hot spots: Beavertail Point. On the windward West side of the point were several respectable sized rafts of eider totaling @200 + birds. The birds were feeding very close to granite boulders along the shore and we were able to sit among the rocks very close and within 15 yards from the birds. They were voraciously feeding returning to the surface with mussels and crabs. One drake returned to the surface with an unidentified fish species. Accompanying the eiders were smaller groups of common scoter, a few surf scoter, a pair of white winged scoter, and 8 HARLEQUIN. All five species were feeding together offering great mixed species photo ops. These birds never fail to amaze me; their incredible tenacity to be feeding and diving around the submerged boulders while huge rollers crash all around them...returning to the surface oblivious of the conditions! My wife scanned all the flocks of eider for a king eider, but she didn't find one..yet!! There were many smaller groups of eiders and common scoter scattered off the shore and many new birds would fly in and join the large group. We headed down to the point below the lighthouse and sat on the rocks (just above the huge breakers) watching more eider and common scoter ride the giant rollers often diving through the tops of the waves to emerge on the other side in time for the next one! There were three old squaws sitting with the small flock of common scoter. Off the SW tip of the point about 100 yards off there were two RED NECKED GREBES. There were many gannets flying outside on the horizon, and 1 GREATER SHEARWATER flew just outside the Newton Ledge bell buoy heading east towards Brenton Point. (This is the closest I have seen a shearwater off Beavertail). One harbor seal swam right in front of us a few yards off the rocks. The East side of the Point also had many groups of eider, common scoter, fewer surf scoters and 10 HARLEQUIN. Many birds would fly in and many would fly by the groups. No "non-typical" gulls identified. 9 Purple sandpipers. Total eider seen 400+ and 60 + scoter (mostly common). Leaving Beavertail we looked around the coves of Fort Wetherill. Off the dock of the RI Marine Fisheries Division were small groups of eiders and r b mergansers, and 1 BLACK GUILLEMOT about halfway between the bulkhead and Bull Point Island. The bird was diving often, but never came much closer to the bulkhead. Brenton Point, Newport had scattered to good sized groups of eiders with small groups of common scoter, and several common loons. Among the rocks along the sea wall there were two hen common goldeneye (my first of the year) and plenty of r b mergansers. The inlets and coves along Ocean Drive in Newport had good amounts of black duck, geese and bufflehead. One HORNED GREBE among the buffleheads. Second Beach- many "typical" gulls and a good sized flock of @ 50 bufflehead in the corner of Sachuest Bay near the entrance to the Refuge and a small group of common eider and common scoter were farther out from the bufflehead. Over a dozen common loons outside. Third beach- small flock of greater scaup and surf scoter sitting out from the boat ramp. Along the beach towards the Refuge cove were a spread out flock of 300+ sanderlings that were seeking refuge from the strong wind. All the birds were sleeping on the rack line and would move around and jockey for position from spot to spot by hopping on one leg while their heads were still turned around and buried under its scapulars staying in their typical sleeping position. It was very amusing to watch. I didn't see any other species of shorebirds in the flock. Newport Reservoir- too many Canada Geese to count! Back to Beavertail-similar numbers of sea ducks but they had moved farther from shore. Fort Getty-scanned a large flock of 200 herring gulls swimming off the boat ramp (escaping the wind) but no "non-typical" gulls in the flock. Headed to Point Judith/Galilee area stopping in Narragansett. The large pond across from the Narragansett Beach Club had a large flock of 65+ RINGNECKED DUCKS accompanied by 13 LESSER SCAUP. This is the first time I have seen these species of waterfowl in this pond. Also 5 PIED BILLED GREBES present..which made a 3 GREBE species day for us! Narragansett sea wall- common loons, few eider, scoter and r b merganser. Point Judith/Galilee Sea Wall- small groups of eider, few scoters, 3 red throated loons. Scanning the horizon revealed large numbers of gannets heading east. 3 CAVE SWALLOWS flew over the parking area heading west across the harbor. Galilee Port/harbor- a favorite place to look for "non-typical" gull species especially around the seafood processing buildings and the docks for the fleet. There were large numbers of gulls present on the ground in the parking areas, on the roofs of the buildings, on the dock pilings, and on the vessels themselves. The air was full of flying and wheeling gulls as many fishing vessels returned to Port, too difficult to scan the flying birds to ID anything "different"! Of the birds sitting; most were greater black backed, followed by herring gulls and fewer ring billed. No Iceland, Glaucous or lesser black backed that we could see..maybe next time! For the last hour and a half of the day we headed to Trustom Pond, and walked down to Otter Point. Greeting us at the observation platform were 300+/- COOT and 1 hen ruddy. The birds were rafted up tightly and giving everyone a great show feeding a mere few yards out in front of the platform. There were also 7 additional ruddies, 30 r b mergansers, 15 gadwall, 3 hooded mergansers, numerous mallards and black ducks, 6 mute swans and another pied billed grebe in other parts of the eastern side of the pond. As we started walking to leave, a hen pintail gave us a fantastic areal "circling" show as it finally settled in the back swampy area of the right side of the trail. The day ended with a fantastic sunset topping off a fantastic day of coastal birding! Keith and Jen Mueller Killingworth